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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider Breaking the spell

Breaking the spell

Published Dec 22, 2022 12:02 am
Medium Rare Jullie Y. Daza What have we done to Christmas? Jammed in traffic. Crushed by fellow travelers at the pier, the airport, bus terminals. Flight schedules altered here and there. Police presence reminding the guilty and innocent of crime and other dangers. High and higher prices at the market, supermarket. Praise God, the religious spirit is alive and well and praying. Thank heavens for the million-million fairy lights lighting up the night near and far, be it a commercial message or a straight-from-the-heart “Merry Christmas” greeting from your mayor. EDSA is no longer the sole culprit when it comes to the creep and crawl of traffic on four wheels. If you live in Metro Manila, how do passengers on public and private transport manage to avoid Ortigas, Commonwealth, Quezon Ave., Roxas Blvd., España? (The ride along España is not so bad after sunset, if you catch sight of a mini-forest of stars artistically dripping from the trees that surround the UST campus.) Though not a solution to the problem, may I offer this road-worthy tip: No need to accept every invitation to social events that require mobility on the road between home and destination and back. What’s one car, you ask? Not a significant difference, but following the code of the road, a little thing called courtesy, it’s simply translated as “make room for the other guy.” The other guy/guys won’t know it, but I know I’m doing myself a favor. On the positive side, and as Christmas is the time to be kind to many, including strangers but especially to kids, let’s cheer those who took time to give sick children the gift of joy and hope. Senator Imee Marcos spent the first of many Christmas hours with the young heart patients at PGH. The kids received toys, their parents received gift bags. The doctors and nurses received thank-you’s and glowingly gave back miles of smiles. At Child Haus in Malate, Hans Sy and “Mader” Ricky Reyes partied with children being treated for and recovering from cancer. The party also marked Child Haus’ 20th anniversary, and what a milestone it was: 19,000 youngsters snatched from the jaws of death, with a mortality rate of 1,000. What lovelier gift than life to the very young?

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